Buzz
The only time your cat might appear truly distressed is when it struggles with a trichobezoar, a mass of undigested fur commonly known as a hairball. As domestic cats groom, the small papillae on their tongues act like brushes, gathering loose hair and sweeping it away from their bodies. Much of this hair is swallowed before being expelled in a somewhat alarming regurgitation.
At zoos or on YouTube, you may have witnessed big cats—lions, tigers, and other wild felines—exhibiting the same huffing and heaving behavior. So, do large cats get hairballs, too?
Not exactly. Natalia Borrego, a research associate at the University of Minnesota Lion Center, states that her subjects don’t typically hack up hairballs, even though they engage in the same grooming routines as smaller domestic cats. Borrego shared with National Geographic that although their physiology wouldn’t prevent them from developing hairballs in or outside of captivity, it’s simply not a frequent occurrence.
Smaller wildcats in captivity, such as servals and ocelots, may be more susceptible to hairballs due to their diet, which often includes commercial foods. In contrast, jaguars, leopards, and other big cats primarily consume meat. Some experts suggest that processed diets could contribute to digestive issues that lead to hairballs, which may explain why large cats with a more natural, farm-to-table diet face a lower risk of developing these clumps.
When large cats do get hairballs, they can become enormous. In recent years, a lion and a tiger in captivity developed hairballs so large—about four pounds each—that they had to be surgically removed. They were simply too large to be expelled naturally.
So, what’s actually going on when you see a lion with its mouth open, chuffing? It’s likely not a sign of a hairball being dislodged. Lions and other big cats use their voice boxes to make contact calls or roars, which can sometimes be mistaken for coughing.
